Switch.



PATENTED DEC. .20, 1904.

' w, R. PINDLY. Y

I swrrom APPLICATION FILED SBPT.19, 1904.

. ,NO MODEL.

UN TED. STATES Patented December 20, 19Q4.

PATENT OFFICE.

swrrc SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 778,183, dated.December 20,1904.

Application filed September 19, 1904. Serial No. 225,033.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ILLIAM R. FINDLY, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Seward, in the county of VVestmorelanol and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certainnew and useful Improvementsin'Switches, of which the following is a specification, ref erence beinghad therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has relation to switches, and has for its object toprovide a novel form of switch wherein the ordinary form of frogs andswitch tongues is dispensed with and a novel form of constructionprovided in connection with means for operating the same, whereby thewear and tear upon the rails adjacent to the switch is reduced to aminimum and a safe and durable construction provided.

Another object of this invention is to provide novel means for operatingthe switch, and from the following description it will be apparent thatI have provided a switch which will be comparatively inexpensive tomanufacture, serviceable, and highly efiicient in its use.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in thenovel construction, combination, and arrangement ofparts to behereinafter more fully described, and specifically pointed out in theclaims.

In describing the invention in detail reference is bad to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and whereinlike numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the severalviews, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved switch,showing the same in connection with a main track and siding. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of one of the switch-plates, showing the same inconnection with my improved switch; and Fig. 3 is adetail perspectiveview of one of these switch-plates as constructed by me. Fig. 1 is adetail view of one end of the operating-bar used in my improved switch.

Referenc'e'will first be had to Fig. 1 of the drawings, wherein I haveillustrated my improved switch and its appurtenant parts in connectionwith main rails and siding-rails,

and in this View the reference-numeral l designates the ties upon whichthe main rails 2 2 are secured, and branching off from these main railsare the s1d1ng-ra1ls 3 3. As heretofore stated, I have dispensed withthe frogs said plates 6 6 have their. under faces provided with tongues8 8, which are adapted to slide in grooves 9 9 of supporting-plates 1010, which are secured to the ties 1. The supporting-plates, one of whichis shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, are preferably formed of a forgingor casting, and I provide the one end of said plates with integralfish-plates 11 11,

while the other end thereof is provided with an integral space-block 12and fish-plates 14 1 1. The fish-plates are each provided with apertures15, whereby the ends of the rails resting upon saidsupporting-plates maybe secured within the fishrplates. The main rails 2 and siding-rails 3are adapted to be spaced apart by the block 12, which is formed integralwith the supporting plates, while the main rails on the opposite end ofthe supporting-plates are retained in position by the fishplates 11 11.

The sections of rails 4: 4 are adapted to control the movement of therolling-stock upon the main tracks 2 2, while the curved rails 5 5 areadapted to control the movement upon the siding-tracks 3 3. Thesupporting-plates are provided with stops 16 16, which are adapted tolimit the movement of the plates 6 6, carrying the rails 1 5, thesestops also serving to secure the supporting-plates 10 to the ties,andbesides these stop-plates I form the supporting-plates with apertures17 17, whereby said plates may be more fir'mlysecured upon the ties.

To operate or move the plates 6 6, I have connected said plates to a bar18, which extends into a casing 19, secured to. the ties upon one sideof the track. This casing is provided with a suitable lid 20, which maybe removed at any time it is desired to lubricate the mechanism carriedwithin the casing 19. I00

The outer end of the bar 18 is provided with a slot 21, and operatingthrough said slot is a block 22, which is provided with beveled edges 2323. This block is connected to a rod 24, which passes through the casing19 and extends parallel with the tracks. This rod is adapted to bereciprocated by any desired means, the ordinary weighted lever beingused most commonly for this purpose.

Reference will now be had to the left-hand side of Fig. 1, where one ofthe sidingtracks crosses one of the main tracks, and heretofore the froghas been used where these tracks cross one another. I intend to employthe supporting-plate 25 and the plate 26, carrying sections of rails 2728, in place of the ordinary frog and to operate said partssimultaneously with the operation of the switch mechanism heretoforedescribed. By employing the rails 27 28 and their appurtenant parts thesafe passage of rolling-stock over this part of the tracks isfacilitated and the use of guard-rails and frogs entirely dispensedwith.

In order to operate the rails 27 28 simultaneously with the rails 4t 5,I have employed two sets of operating mechanism, which are actuated bythe rod 24, these two sets and the manner of connecting the same beingclearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. It will be observed thatby reciprocating the rod 2 1 the blocks 22, mounted within the casings19, will be drawn in one or the other direction and that either one ofthe beveled edges 23 23 of said blocks will engage within the slots 21and move the bars 18 simultaneously.

The supporting-plates used in the place of frogs are identical with theplates used in place of switch-tongues, and it will thus be seen thatthe construction of my improved switch can be mostly of standard pieces,which is impossible with the present construction used upon railways.

It will be observed from the foregoing description that I have provideda novel form of switch wherein the life of the rolling-stock, especiallythe flanges of the wheels, passing over the switch as constructed by mewill be considerablylengthened, and that when the rolling-stock ispassing on the main track it will have a straight-way passage, and thatit will be impossible for the wheels to in any manner engage thesiding-tracks or sections thereof, and while I have herein shown thepreferred form of construction of my switch I do not care to confinemyself to the exact construction shown, but may vary the same as will bepermissible by the appended claims.

Havingfully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Ina switch, the combination of two supporting-plates, fish-platescarried by each supporting-plate at one end thereof to receive mainrails, fish-plates carried by each supporting-plate at the other endthereof and space-blocks interposed between the lastnamed fish-plates,to receive main rails and siding-rails, two sliding plates mounted onsaid two supporting-plates, said sliding plates being formed withtongues, fitting grooves in said supporting-plates, straightrail-sections and angularly-disposed rail-sections carried by eachsliding plate, said sliding plates being connected together.

2. In a switch, the combination of a supporting-plate adapted to receivethe ends of main rails and siding-rails, said supportingplate beinggrooved transversely on its upper face, means carried by saidsupporting-plate for the attachment thereto of said main rails andsiding-rails, a sliding plate mounted on said supporting-plate andhaving tongues on its lower face seating in the grooves in thesupporting-plate, said sliding plate carrying a main-rail section and asiding-rail section.

3. In a switch, the combination of a supporting-plate adapted to supportthe ends of main rails and siding-rails a sliding plate mounted on saidsupporting-plate, a main-rail section and siding-rail section carried bysaid sliding plate, a casing located adjacent the supporting-plate, aslotted bar attached to the sliding plate and extending into the casing,a sliding block arranged in said casing and having beveled edges andpassing through the slot in said bar and means for moving said block inthe casing.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

\VILLIAM R. FINDLY.

Witnesses:

D. B. ANDERSON, BERT W AGNER.

